Comfort Her, or Cover Up An Epilogue
by Sgamer82
Summary: Now that she has her confidence back, Buttercup doesn't need her blankie anymore...or does she?


_**THE POWERPUFF GIRLS**  
COMFORT HER  
or  
COVER UP - AN EPILOGUE_  
BY  
Sgamer82

It was well past bedtime, maybe as late as 9:45, but Buttercup couldn't sleep. Ever since the events of that day, she hadn't felt right. It was like something was missing. Buttercup knew exactly what it was, too: her blanket.   
  
She had a blanket over her, sure, but it wasn't _her_ blanket. It wasn't the one that she'd found one day while looking through the laundry, shortly after she and her sisters were born. The blanket she was under right now wasn't the soft one she'd discovered while in a laundry basket still dryer-warm. It wasn't the cuddly, bright green one that she adored. It wasn't her blankie.   
  
No... chances were that was gone for good. Thanks to Blossom. A small surge of anger popped up in Buttercup at the thought of what Blososm had done to her. After months of hiding it, Bubbles and Blossom had found out about her blankie. They'd had a good laugh, like Buttercup had always known they would. Especially after she'd told them about how the blanket helped her be a better fighter. To Buttercup's suprise though, after the initial laughter they hadn't made a big deal about it. Buttercup had even been able to carry it around the house openly, no more hiding it. She still considered the couple days she was able to do that the best ever. Then she lost it...   
  
Not exactly lost, so much as the Professor putting it in the laundry without her knowing it. Either way, Buttercup couldn't find it when she'd needed it. Couldn't find it when a monster had attacked Townsville and Buttercup, without her blanket, couldn't fight it. Looking back, it _was_ kinda silly, the thing was smaller than her, and that was pretty small. But she just couldn't fight it without her blanket. Blossom had to trick her with a fake blankie to make Buttercup fight and, Buttercup was proud to say, she kicked some major butt! Afterwards, when Blososm revealed her trick, Buttercup had to admit that the blankie had never made her a super fighter like she'd thought. But none of that was what made her angry with Blossom. Much as she hated to even think it, Blossom had been right about making her see the blanket didn't help her fight. What made her so angry was that Blossom had made Buttercup give her blankie away!   
  
Buttercup still couldn't believe Blossom had the nerve to make her give it up! Great fighter or not, she still wanted it, still loved to hold it. But Blossom had no way of knowing how great her blanket was, that it was more to her than a lucky charm for fighting.   
  
And now, because of Blossom, she didn't have it anymore. She didn't even have it in her pillowcase, one of her favorite hiding places for it before her sisters had found it. She had nothing.   
  
Buttercup twisted and turned and tried to get comfortable for about five minutes. But it was no good; without her blankie she just couldn't relax enough to sleep. She couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed and floated downstairs. She stopped in front of the door that led to Professor Utonium's laboratory. Buttercup slowly opened the door and peeked inside. The lights were on, Professor was working late. Buttercup floated a few inches above the floor and quietly floated into the lab. She saw Professor looking at something in a beaker and writing stuff down. She looked around the lab slowly, looking for... aha! There it was, sitting on a counter behind Professor, her blankie!   
  
Professor was still buried in his work, all she had to do was float over quietly and snatch the blanket. Buttercup floated over to the counter and quickly grabbed the blanket. She turned around to fly out of the lab but flew into something that hadn't been there a moment ago. She saw something big and white in front of her.   
  
With a gulp, she looked up, right into the face of Professor Utonium. And he didn't look very happy.   
  
"Uh... hi, Professor."

**_* * * * * _**

  
  
Professor Utonium looked down at his daughter, clutching the green blanket in her hand, with a guilty look on her face. He had turned around to get something from a cabinet for his experiments, and there she was, trying to sneak off with the blanket.   
  
"Buttercup," he began, "Why aren't you in bed?"   
  
Buttercup looked down at the floor, "I... I couldn't sleep."   
  
"And you came down here?"   
  
"Well..." Buttercup said, looking up at him, clearly trying to make up an excuse, "...I heard before that warm milk helps you sleep. But you said we couldn't use the stove or microwave without your permission. So..."   
  
"You want me to get you a glass?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
Professor Utonium had to give Buttercup credit. She knew how to think on her feet. In fact, if she hadn't been holding the incriminating evidence in her right hand, the Professor, more than likely, would have bought that story.   
  
"And you needed a blanket because?"   
  
Buttercup suddenly remembered what she was holding and a panicked look crossed her face. Utonium coulld tell her mind was working double-time to quickly come up with something.   
  
"Um... umm..." she stammered, apparently coming up dry.   
  
"Did you come down here because you wanted that blanket back?" the Professor asked her, point-blank.   
  
"Yeah." she answered, looking at the floor again.   
  
"Buttercup, I was under the impression you understood that blanket didn't help you fight."   
  
"I know." Buttercup said.   
  
Professor Utonium wasn't entirely sure if he believed her. Blossom and Bubbles had related the whole story to him after the fact. Good thing too, because he hadn't known what to make of it when Buttercup had given him the blanket in the first place. Though he had caught a nod from Blossom suggesting he play along, so he did, letting Buttercup think he was happy to get the blanket because it had helped him complete his best experiment ever.   
  
"If you know it doesn't help you fight, why are you trying to take it back?" he asked her.   
  
"Because... because... I still wanted it." Buttercup said, with a slight blush in her cheeks. The Professor let out a sigh.   
  
"Buttercup, if you know you don't need it, then there's no reason for you to have it. Now, let's put it back on the counter and get you back into be..."   
  
"NO!" she suddenly yelled, with what looked almost like tears forming in her eyes. The Professor gently took it from her and placed it back on the counter where she'd gotten it. He then took Buttercup in his arms and proceeded to carry her up the steps back to her bedroom. As Utonium walked, Buttercup just buried her face in his shoulder. Just before the Professor opened the door he heard Buttercup mumble something under her breath.   
  
"What did you say, dear?" He asked, hoping he hadn't just caught Buttercup saying one of the seven or so words she was never allowed to utter.   
  
"It's not fair..." she muttered. Professor Utonium had to strain to hear it, though, because it didn't seem like she'd heard him ask to repeat herself. She was doing it on her own.   
  
"It's not fair..." she said a third time. Now that he knew what to listen for, the Professor heard it pretty clearly.   
  
"What isn't fair, Buttercup?" he asked her. Buttercup's head suddenly shot up and looked at him, shocked. Utonium guessed she hadn't realized she was talking out loud.   
  
"Uh... nothing! Nothing's not fair! Nothing at all!" she started saying, trying to avoid where this was likely headed.   
  
"I heard you say 'It's not fair.' Now, what isn't fair?" The Professor looked Buttercup right in the eyes as he asked her. Buttercup's resolve finally broke, tears started forming in her eyes and her face flushed red, though this time not from embarrasment.   
  
"I'll tell ya what's not fair!! Why is it Bubbles can carry Octi around everywhere she goes and nobody bats an eye; but when I find something I like just as much everyone's gotta gang up and take it from me?! Why?! Huh?! Is it 'cause I'm the 'toughest fighter?!' I gotta be tough all the time?!" Buttercup's eyes went wide just then and she clamped her hands over her mouth, as though she had said something she _never_ intended to say aloud.   
  
But it was enough, Professor Utonium suddenly got the insight he'd needed. Neither Blossom nor Bubbles had mentioned this, he guessed they hadn't noticed or, like Buttercup had just said, hadn't even considered that the "toughest fighter" might love a security blanket just as much as Bubbles loved Octi.   
  
Professor Utonium looked at Buttercup, she looked scared out of her wits. Like now something horrible was going to happen because she'd spilled her guts. The Professor, not entirely sure what to do, just hugged her tight and tried to console her. Buttercup just couldn't take it anymore and started to cry. While the Professor patted her back and gave her consolations like "There, there," and "It'll be okay, sweetheart." he moved to the counter where he'd put the blanket and stopped patting Buttercup just long enough to grab it, sit down, and put Buttercup in his lap.   
  
"Here you go." he told her, presenting the green comforter to her. She looked at it with teary eyes for a moment. The surprise clear on her face. The Professor took out a hankerchief from his lab coat pocket and dried Buttercup's tears with it. When the Professor finished he saw Buttercup's face break out into a huge smile and, before anybody could say anything, Buttercup hugged her blanket close to her and just sat there with it. If he didn't know how much she would've hated hearing it, the Professor would have said something about how adorable she looked in that moment. But he just let her cuddle her blankie for a few moments in peace. After about a minute, Buttercup looked up at the Professor.   
  
"Why're you givin' it back, Professor? I thought you said I shouldn't need it anymore?"   
  
"Well," the Professor began, "I didn't realize how much it meant to you. From what Blossom and Bubbles had told me, I thought it was just a lucky charm you needed to fight. But now I see it's a lot more than that to you. Isn't it?"   
  
Buttercup, starting to blush again, nodded.   
  
"And if that's really the case, then I don't think me or anybody else has the right to take it from you until you're ready to go without it."   
  
"Really? So I c'n keep it for good?!" Buttercup nearly shouted.   
  
"Yes, honey," the Professor told her, "you can keep it as long as you like. And I'll be sure to let you know when I'm going to wash it, too."   
  
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!" She said as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around the Professor's neck in a big hug. The Professor pulled her off after a few seconds (her hugs could break his neck if he wasn't careful) and sat her back on his lap.   
  
"Now, how about we get you back into bed, hmmmm?" He asked her.   
  
"Oh, I guess so." Buttercup said in a slightly whiny voice.   
  
Professor Utonium stood up, once again with Buttercup in his arms, and walked back to the girls' bedroom. He took her up the basement stairs and up the steps in the living room. Walked quitely into the room, so as to avoid disturbing Blossom and Bubbles, and layed her down in her part of the bed. With a good night kiss, Professor Utonium left Buttercup in bed and went back to his lab to finish his work before he went to sleep himself.   
  
Buttercup meanwhile, fell asleep quickly, her blankie gripped firmly in her arms. She wasn't letting go of it anytime soon.

**_THE END_**


End file.
